05 July 2003: Though he claimed in the chamber not to have known in advance that he would be elected to the position of Mayor of Naas, Cllr Pat O'Reilly's dress code and that of his only challenger said it all.
O'Reilly turned out for yesterday morning's adjourned AGM of Naas Town Council in suit and tie, while Cllr Charlie Byrne wore a jumper and open-necked shirt.
The only surprise was the fact that Cllr Mary Glennon turned up, as she had family holiday commitments in England for the week. Her return for the meeting meant that Cllr Willie Callaghan had literally to 'show his hand' by voting against his Fianna Fail colleague Charlie Byrne in favour of O'Reilly, who is now in for his second term of the privilege and financial rewards of leading the current Naas Town Council.
Given the absence of Cllr Anthony Egan - out of the country because of illness in his family - it was still in Callaghan's gift to give his party colleague a sporting chance of becoming Mayor. If the former Fianna Fail Mayor had voted for Byrne, it would have been a 4-4 split and the contest would have been decided by a draw from a hat.
But in the final year of the current local authorities regime, he threw away the chance of his party leading all the key councils in Kildare - Newbridge and Leixlip have already elected Fianna Fail leaders, and Kildare County Council on Monday next will elect Cllr Michael Fitzpatrick to the chair as Mayor of Kildare.
O'Reilly was proposed and seconded by Independent councillors Seamie Moore and Eibhlin Bracken, and supported in the vote by Callaghan and recent PD party defectee Cllr Timmy Conway.
Byrne was proposed and seconded by Labour's Pat McCarthy and Independent councillor Glennon.
A plea from Glennon and McCarthy that Egan be elected to the Deputy Mayor position fell on deaf ears on the other side of the table, and Bracken was elected to that position for the second time in a row.
